Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Anthurium andreanum cultivar Exciting Love.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Exciting Lovexe2x80x99.
The new Anthurium is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Anthurium andreanum cultivar Red Love, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,005. The cultivar Exciting Love was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within a large population of plants of the cultivar Red Love in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands in September, 1999.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by meristem culture in a laboratory in Belgium since September, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar Exciting Love. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Exciting Lovexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely clumping growth habit.
3. Durable dark green leaves.
4. Grayed purple-colored spathes with green-colored margins and pale yellow-colored spadices that are positioned slightly above and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes.
5. Freely flowering habit.
6. Good inflorescence longevity.
Plants of the new Anthurium are most similar to plants of the parent, the cultivar Red Love. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the cultivar Red Love in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium had larger spathes than plants of the cultivar Red Love.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium and the cultivar Red Love differed in spathe coloration as spathes of plants of the cultivar Red Love were solid red in color.